The Up-And-Coming Class of 2025 Talent – The Defenders
One of the nicest things that comes with the start of a new high school volleyball season is the fact that we get to watch players we never did before joining their teams and immediately becoming important pieces for them.…
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Continue ReadingOne of the nicest things that comes with the start of a new high school volleyball season is the fact that we get to watch players we never did before joining their teams and immediately becoming important pieces for them.
That’s even more the case in the great state of Texas, one with a tremendously high number of teams and divisions and the ability to develop talent in a lot of different regions. High the first seven weeks of high school volleyball in the books, we’ll take the week to highlight the freshmen that had great starts to their high school careers.
Some really interesting defenders have emerged in the class of 2025 and in the last article of the series we’ll highlight three of them:
Gabby Baker – Libero – HS: Rudder
Gabby Baker’s presence alone has made Rudder’s defensive system considerably stronger this year as the freshman has been having a noticeably positive impact in the team. The 5’2” libero is really hard to score on due to her technique and ability to read the game and has already picked up 509 digs in 95 sets in her first season of high school volleyball, averaging 5.4 per set. She had her best performance in the season not long ago, when she tallied impressive 39 digs against A&M Consolidated.
Ariana Spell – Libero – HS: Langham Creek – Club: Houston Juniors
Ariana Spell in another up-and-coming defensive star in the state of Texas as this Houston area prospect slotted in perfectly into Langham Creek’s lineup in her freshman season. The 5’5” Spell has been leading the Lobos’ defensive game masterfully. Spell has been responsible for 343 of the team’s digs in her first 76 sets, averaging 4.5 per set. She’s hit the 30-dig mark once already, in a victory against Cypress Woods.
Rayen Flandes – Setter – HS: Brentwood Christian
Defense is hardly the best part of Rayen Flandes’ game as other skills take priority as her role as a setter for Brentwood Christian, but the freshman has showed an impressive ability to help her team at the backcourt too. Besides running the Lady Bears’ offense, Flandes has proven to be an extremely reliable defensive player, having already generated 338 digs in 79 sets, to an average of 4.3 that puts her alongside some of the best liberos and defensive specialists. She was at her best in that area of the game in a match against Austin Royals HomeSchools, in which she averaged ten digs per set.